Live Oregon

2010-Autumn-Oregon-Food-Recipe-Salmon-Cakes-with-Truffle-Mayonnaise-eat-cook-chef

Salmon Cakes with Truffle Mayonnaise

SALMON CAKES Ingredients: ½ cup fresh bread crumbs ½ cup Portobello duxelles (see below) ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper ½ teaspoon dried dill 1 egg beaten lightly ½ cup mayonnaise 1 pound cooked salmon Truffle mayonnaise (see below) Portobello duxelles 3 tablespoons melted butter 2/3 cup chopped onion 2 cups finely chopped wild or white button mushrooms ¼ teaspoon salt ¼ teaspoon sugar ½ teaspoon soy sauce   Truffle mayonnaise 1 tablespoon Joel Palmer House White Truffle Oil 1 cup mayonnaise   Directions: For mayonnaise: Blend one tablespoon of Joel Palmer House White Truffle Oil with one cup mayonnaise. Set aside. For duxelles: Place butter in a medium sauté pan over medium heat. Saute the onion until just transparent, about three minutes. Add the mushrooms, salt, sugar, and soy sauce and stir. The mushrooms will begin to give off liquid. Continue to stir the mushrooms until all the liquid has evaporated and…

2010-Autumn-Oregon-Food-Recipe-Pheasant-Ham-and-Black-Truffle-Croquette-eat-cook-chef

Pheasant, Ham and Black Truffle Croquette

Makes 36 croquettes Ingredients: 8 tablespoons unsalted butter ½ cup onions chopped finely 2½ cups all-purpose flour 2 cups whole milk 2 cups pheasant stock ½ cup finely chopped, Serrano ham or Prosciutto 6 ounces pheasant meat, shredded Salt and pepper 1 pinch nutmeg 1 pound chopped frozen Oregon black truffles 2 cups breadcrumbs Olive oil for frying   Directions: Heat the butter in a medium sauté pan over medium heat. Add onions and cook until they are translucent, five minutes. Add 1 ½ cups flour and mix thoroughly. Cook for five minutes to make sure the flour is cooked through; it should start to take on a golden color. Pour the milk and stock into the flour mixture and cook, stirring continuously for about two minutes, until you have a thick béchamel. Add the ham and pheasant, and sprinkle in salt and nutmeg. Cook another two minutes. You should…

2010-Summer-Southern-Oregon-Home-Exterior-Design-Takilma-tree-house

Tree House Dwellers

At any age, the lure of a tree house is undeniable.Modern versions come in all styles and sizes, from the humble platform to the luxurious weekend retreat, complete with indoor plumbing and electricity.

2010-Summer-1859-home-design-backyard-remodel-artisan-project-backyard

Creating an Outdoor Oasis

As the days lengthen and the temperatures warm, there’s nothing nicer than getting home and kicking back in your outdoor room. Whether you have $500, $5,000 or $30,000, you can create a summertime oasis in your backyard.

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The Oregon Strawberry

Most mornings in June, starting at about 5:30, Chris Christensen is out in the strawberry fields of her 250-acre farm in Albany, picking the perfectly ripe fruit. “I’d rather sit and pick than do anything else” says Christensen, a third-generation strawberry grower. “There’s that quiet moment when the crew gets down to do it, and the birds are going, and you’re in your own thoughts. I’m giddy.”   As she deftly plucks the berries from the plants, she’ll pop a few into her mouth, savoring the natural sugar and juice that combines in an intense flavor found only in an Oregon strawberry. From farm-stand shoppers to food scientists and high-profile chefs, people with discriminating taste buds agree that this state produces the most intensely sweet, red and juicy strawberries. Even the world’s strawberry cognoscenti, mostly food professionals, know this. Yet, the berries are still relatively obscure, in part because production…

Ceviche

The Oregon Strawberry Recipes from Chef Leif Eric Benson

Fresh Driver Scallops and Oregon Strawberry Ceviche (serves 4-6 as an appetizer) Basil ½ cup olive oil ½ cup fresh basil leaves ½ cup fresh spinach leaves Scallops 8 ounces fresh scallops, trimmed and diced (1 cup) 4 ounces Oregon strawberries, washed and diced (1/2 cup) 3 tablespoons basil oil (recipe above)    juice from one lime 1 tablespoon minced chives    salt, to season Oregon Strawberry Vinaigrette 3 egg yolks 2 tablespoons Dijon or stone-ground mustard 3 tablespoons water 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar    juice from ½ a lime 1/3 cup olive oil 2 cups fresh, ripe Oregon strawberries, washed    salt and pepper to taste For Scallops Combine ingredients and reserve. Serve chilled with Oregon strawberry vinaigrette, basil oil and, if desired, micro greens and crostini. For Basil Oil Purée in blender until smooth For Vinaigrette Place egg yolks, mustard, lime juice, water and vinegar in a…

2010-Spring-Oregon-Recipe-Willamette-Valley-Eyrie-Vineyards-Chocolate-Hazelnut-Torte-eat-food-chef-cook

Chocolate Hazelnut Torte with Pinot Gris

Serves 4-6 Ingredients: ½ pound butter ½ pound Callebaut semi-sweet chocolate, or other fine chocolate 2 eggs 6 tablespoons sugar ½ cup pinot gris  or good brandy ½ pound wheatmeal biscuits, coarsely crushed Slightly sweetened whipped cream, for garnish ½ cup coarsely chopped dry-roasted hazelnuts, for garnish Directions: A day ahead butter, the sides of an eight-inch springform pan, and line the bottom with buttered wax paper. Melt the butter and chocolate together in a double boiler. Beat the eggs and sugar together until foamy, and add the melted butter and chocolate. Add the brandy and crushed biscuits. Stir together gently, and pour into the paper-lined pan. Refrigerate overnight. Day of Unmold, peel off the paper, and slice into servings. Garnish each serving with a generous dollop of slightly sweetened whipped cream. Sprinkle with the chopped roasted hazelnuts or shaved chocolate, if desired.

silverton oregon, silver falls, willamette valley

Silverton: Oregon’s Garden City

Silverton rolls out of the Cascades to the west and over valley soils that support sheep farms, tree nurseries, a handful of vineyards and other agriculture. Fifteen miles west lies the state capitol, Salem, and forty-five miles north is Portland. Silverton takes after neither. Depending on where you look, Silverton is a sliver of artistic Ashland, a dash of Dundee wine country and dose of Eugene oddity.

university of oregon, eugene oregon, willamette valley, lincoln city, oregon coast, oregon artists

Life in the Abstract

Abstract painter Tracy McEwan finds complexity and striking color on the Oregon Coast. The result of his work is an amazing array that captures the world in a new light.